Miami Heat favored to land Kevin Love after Cavs’ buyout: report

Kevin Love will have multiple suitors after the five-time All-Star and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a buyout. 

The Miami Heat have emerged as the front runners to land Love, but the NBA champion will also speak with the Philadelphia 76ers before making a decision, according to a report by ESPN.

Love and the Cavs completed their contract buyout Saturday morning, according to the report. 

CELTICS REMOVE INTERIM TAG, NAME JOE MAZZULLA HEAD COACH FOLLOWING OFFSEASON SUSPENSION OF IME UDOKA 

Love is in the final year of his contract, which pays him $31.2 million this year, but the veteran has dropped out of Cleveland’s rotation, failing to appear in the Cavs’ last 12 games. 

Love, who has been with the Cavaliers for the last nine seasons, was a member of the 2016 NBA championship team in Cleveland. 

In his career, he’s averaged 17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, but his numbers have dipped significantly this season. 

In 20 minutes per game, Love has averaging just 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. 

Cleveland has been revitalized since acquiring four-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell in the offseason from the Utah Jazz. 

The Cavs head into the NBA’s All-Star break in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 38-23. 

Miami will head into the second half of the NBA season in seventh place in the East at 32-27, which would qualify them for the NBA’s play-in tournament. 

“We’ve got 23 to go to get to where we need to get to,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said after losing to the Brooklyn Nets before the break. “It’s all about being healthy, which is what going into this break is going to do for us, come out swinging for the fences in the right way.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.